Chapter 10
Hermione's point of view
Today was the 24th of December- the day of the Yule Ball. Butterflies had been hammering in my chest all day in anticipation of tonight. This was sort of a first date, the thought sent a warmth racing through my cheeks. I was so nervous and yet so excited. Me and Ginny had decided to get ready at her place with some of the other girls- Pansy, Lavender and Luna. We had all gotten to know each other very well and any old feelings were instantly kicked to the curb. The war was in the past and now we had to look to the future.
Ginny's bathroom was the biggest with mirrors covering almost every surface so each of us girls sat in front of our mirrors and got ready. For my make up I wanted to be very subtle but at the same time striking. Pansy had let me borrow an expensive looking eyeshadow palette that had the perfect shade of silver. I gently brushed a little bit onto my eyelids so that you could see a faint sheen. I then put on some mascara and some very pretty pink lipstick. Ginny swept my hair into an elegant plait crown that twirled its way around my head; a few hairs escaped but Ginny deftly curled them with her wand to make them seem less accidental. I then put on my dress, feeling the weight of the skirts drag me down.
"Ugh they're so heavy." I complained, I really hated dressing up.
"Just spell them."
"What did you say Luna?" Luna looked very pretty in a light blue dress that was covered in little animals that were actually moving . It was amazing to see little bunnies hopping around in the grass and great eagles soaring high above them in the sky.
"Just spell the dress to make it lighter."
"That's a marvellous idea, I can't believe that I never thought about it before." I pointed my wand at my skirts and whispered the spell, the weight off my legs felt marvellous and the skirts were able to swish pleasantly around my ankles.
The dress I had chosen had a sweetheart shape that led into a plunging neckline. It was all covered in a floral grey blue lace that kept my modesty intact. The lace covered the white silk all the way to the floor and the flower patterns seemed to shine silver when my many skirts moved. I had gravitated to the dress almost instantly as it had reminded me of Draco's eyes. It was the exact same shade.
For shoes I had chosen a pair of comfortable white lace up boots. You couldn't really see them under the dress so I figured that It was better to be comfortable. I was also wearing a diamond necklace that my mother and father had gotten me for Christmas and Ginny had cast a spell on my hair that made it look slightly glittery. I felt so beautiful and I couldn't wait to see Draco.
I was surprised at Ginny's choice of Dress. Instead of the daring red that I was so used to seeing her in she had chosen a simple but elegant emerald green dress that complimented her hair and eyes to perfection. It was as if she were growing up and realised that she didn't have to be bold to be beautiful. Pansy was wearing a peach dress with plenty of frills on it. She hadn't seemed to happy about wearing it but when I spelled her glossy hair into the cutest ringlets her eyes began to water:
"Thank you, you've made me feel like a princess." And she looked like one, she looked like a beautiful princess on the way to meet her Prince Charming.
Lavender wore a lavender dress that was very revealing. She had gone for a more old fashioned look and had even decided to wear a corset. She looked like she could hardly breathe but there was no denying that Ron would love her dress.
The clock chimed and we were all ready for the Ball.
Draco's point of view
I hadn't really had chance to talk to Blaise and Theo this year but we had all decided to get ready together. I found out that they were both really happy with their wives and Theo even hinted that he and Susan were beginning to think about having kids. Blaise told me that despite Luna's crazy appearance she actually was very clever and he admired that she was able to be herself in the face of adversity. I was so happy that we could all move on from the brutality that we had experienced from our parents during the war and so happy that now we could live our lives the way we wanted to.
I put my crisp black suit on with a white shirt and Hermione's tie. Just looking at it made my heart beat faster in my chest. I was so nervous to tell her how I felt. Both Blaise and Theo had congratulated me on the plan and agreed that it was the best time to do it. I mean what's more romantic than a ball right?
The clock chimed so I made my way to the entrance hall and waited at the bottom of the stairs for Hermione to arrive.
God, she was like an angel that had fallen from heaven. Every step she took down the stairs towards me made her shine. Her hair shimmered faintly and her dress seemed to be alive with molten silver. The top of the dress clung to her figure and then the material gracefully made its way into voluminous skirts. The lace on top was a steely grey blue colour that perfectly matched my tie and I even saw some white boots poking out from underneath all that fabric- that was my Hermione. The minute she reached the bottom step I took her hand, being very careful not to glance for too long at the plunging neckline that was craftily hidden by the patterned lace. She was beautiful and I hoped that she didn't take too much notice of my hands that were beginning to get very sweaty. Man. I was so in love with her.
I led her in to the Great Hall. It was beautifully decorated with twelve Christmas trees that were bedecked with thousand of baubles. There was a dance floor that took up most of the room and it flashed so brightly and there was also a refreshment table where the teachers table was supposed to be. There were a couple of chairs and tables littered in the corners of the room but the main attraction was clearly the buffet. Instead of savoury food it was laden with all sorts of candy; chocolate frogs, every flavour beans, jelly slugs, sugar quills and pumpkin pasties. I grabbed a chocolate frog and saw the card. It was Hermione, she was smiling up at me blushing prettily. I went to show Hermione but she was fighting her way through the crowd towards the sugar quills.
Finally, she got one and we sat down and ate our sweets. I then showed her the card and she snatched it out of my hands straight away.
"Ugh how embarrassing. Promise me you'll never show anyone." Her blush was so endearing and made her seem even more alive with vitality.
"Fine," I couldn't help but laugh at her embarrassment. "You don't have to worry though, you are beautiful." I took it back form her and slipped it into one of my suits many pockets.
"You are also looking very beautiful." She laughed then at my confused expression, I was beautiful? I'd rather that she said I was handsome I would have been able to respond to that a lot better. I'd never been called beautiful before.
"Beautiful?" She just smiled at me happily and then the music began to play.
"Oh it's a good song! Let's go dance." She grabbed my arm and we began to dance. I don't really do much dancing in all truth, I was very uncomfortable but with a little guidance from Hermione I began to loosen up. I can't tell you how long we danced for. We grabbed loads of refreshments- I didn't know that dancing was such hard work. We were dancing to a very upbeat number when a slow song came on, without hesitation I wrapped my arms around Hermione's waist and pulled her closer to me. She gently rested her head against my chest and we swirled in a circular motion.
The music faded into the background as did the chatter of everyone else as I looked at the warm beauty that I was so lucky to have in my arms. She was looking right back at me, her eyes alive in the pulsing lights from the dancefloor. I craned my neck downwards and she stretched her neck upwards and our lips met so soft and sweet. A deep burning sensation flooded through me and I was breathless when she pulled away.
"Hermione I..." A force suddenly hit me in the face and I fell to the floor.
"Ron NO!" Hermione's voice screeched. A blow hit me in my stomach forcing all the air out of my lungs. My eyes started to water as my lungs clawed my throat for air. "RON STOP IT!"
"Hermione I'm just trying to protect you from that bastard."
"Ronald Weasley how can you be so blind? I don't need to be protected from him. We are husband and wife."
"But he kissed you."
"No I kissed him."
"Slut." By now the room had gone silent so I'm sure everyone heard the deafening crack of Hermione's hand meeting the Weasel's face. I managed to pull myself up to a sitting position and I saw silent tears streaming down her face as she ran out of the hall. Hands hoisted me up to my feet (Theo and Blaise) and my lungs instantly filled up with air. As soon as I was able to stand up properly I punched the ass in the face, smiling at the satisfying crack it made and stumbled after Hermione.
Hermione's point of view
I was so embarrassed and upset how could Ron do that to me again? I didn't register where my feet were taking me until I felt a cold breeze brush my face. Somehow I had gotten to the Astronomy Tower- my favourite place in Hogwarts. As the fresh air made its way into my lungs I began to relax and I headed to the edge of the tower to lean on the railing. The bright full moon hung low in the night sky casting a ghostly glow. The stars twinkled quietly and the night was filled with sounds of nocturnal animals coming out of their slumber. I wiped the tears from my face and froze when I heard footsteps behind me.
"I'm sorry." His hands snaked around my waist and his head rested in the crook of my neck.
"It's not your fault." I turned around and looked into his sad grey eyes.
"It feels like it, it was all going so well and I had to ruin it."
"You didn't ruin anything." His close proximity made my lips tangle in anticipation. The kiss we had shared on the dance floor had been gentle but when our lips clashed together this time- well we burnt.
His hands sent fireworks through me as they caressed my face with a careful ferocity as if he was scared that I was going to break. I pulled him closer and he deepened the kiss. I felt that I was on fire, every nerve ending felt like it was being fried. He pulled away and smiled at me- I felt so breathless and dizzy. He then took my hands in his and began to talk:
"Hermione over the last few months we have grown closer and as I've got to know you I've felt myself falling more in love with you everyday. Don't feel obligated to say anything, I just want to let you know that I love you." My insides warmed, if the kisses hadn't been a confirmation of how he felt, well I definitely knew how he felt and I wasn't scared to tell him that I reciprocated those feelings.
"I love you too."
"Really?"
"Yes." Draco pulled me into a hug and I felt so warm and safe in his arms- a feeling that I hadn't felt in so long. We stayed watching the sun cast its glorious rays into the sky, forcing the darkness to recede.
"Hermione," He pulled something out of his pocket and began to get down on his knees, "You don't have a ring and I want the world to know that you're mine. Will you wear it?" He opened the box and inside on a plush velvet cushion was a silver ring, a delicate band, with a small diamond set into it between two even smaller emeralds. It was perfect. I nodded- speechless.
The ring slid onto my finger perfectly. Looking at the ring and then into his eyes I felt that I'd never been happier.
Draco's point of view
She loved me back and she had accepted my ring. I had searched forever to find something that embodied Hermione perfect. It was simple but striking just like her. I felt like a massive weight had been taken off my shoulders. It was like I was the moon and she the sun- by casting her light and positivity into the world she made me better, brighter as a result. The future had never felt so promising as I held her in my arms.
As the sun began to rise a lot faster and Hermione started to yawn, we headed back down millions of steps and walked through the empty halls to get back to our rooms. I ignored the beaming faces of Gabriel and Dominique as they took in our ruffled appearances and noticed that our hands were intertwined. We both got ready for bed and under the covers we snuggled.
"I love you."
"I love you too." Her face was alight with happiness and I kissed her perfect chapped lips gently before pulling her closer into me. I never wanted to let her go. Ever.
A/N:Please review, hope you liked this chapter x.
